Interactive powered bedding systems for children

ABSTRACT

Interactive bedding systems for a child and processes of use include a mattress and a foundation supporting the mattress. The interactive bedding system can be dynamically adjusted to the child&#39;s individuality and age. The bedding system includes a control unit configured to automatically adjust articulating sections in the foundation, the one or more color-changeable lighting units, the one or more sound speakers, and the vibrating units upon detection of a sleep condition, and automatically detect a presence or an absence of the child on the articulating bedding system at a predetermined range of time and notifying a third party in the absence of the child during the predetermined range of time.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 63/168,673 filed on Mar. 31, 2021, the contents of whichare incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure generally relates to powered bedding systems and,more specifically, to interactive powered bedding systems for childrenthat can be dynamically adjusted to the child's individuality and age.

Powered bedding systems such as articulated bedding systems have longbeen used in the home as well as in hospital and healthcare facilitiesto allow positioning of an end user in a reclining position, sittingposition, elevated leg position or combinations of these positions. Somepowered bedding systems feature massaging action. General usage ofpowered beds has been rapidly expanding due to the comfort andconvenience provided to the end user. For example, a typical poweredarticulating bedding system may include an articulating foundationconsisting of a wood decking sections connected together with hinges forarticulating different sections of the bed to allow various positions ofthe overlying mattress. There are actuators connected between the bedframe and the wood decking for moving the adjustable sections intouser-desired positions. The adjustable bed may have a “wall hugging”feature that maintains a consistent distance between the mattress andthe wall as the bed is adjusted. Some articulating bedding systems mayuse wooden or plastic slats to support the mattress instead of a solidwood platform.

Typically, these powered bedding systems are generally static devices,wherein an end user is required to manually select the degree ofarticulation or a desired feature using a remote control incommunication with a control unit coupled to movably actuate theactuators or other features the powered bedding system may include. Forexample, if the end user desires to watch television, the end userthrough trial and error selects the desired degree of articulation usingthe remote control. Moreover, powered bedding systems do not possesmodularity as the various features provided in these bedding systems areintended to be permanent.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the disclosure, an interactive powered beddingsystem for a child is provided and configured to dynamically adjust to achild's individuality and age. In one or more embodiments, theinteractive powered bedding system for a child includes a mattress; anda foundation including a rectangular frame and optionally one or morearticulating sections mounted to the rectangular frame configured tosupport the mattress, wherein the rectangular frame includes a head end,a foot end, and sidewalls extending from the head end to the foot end,and removable border panels about a perimeter of the rectangular frameincluding a pattern and/or indicia. The rectangular frame can include alinkage assembly operable to articulate one or more of the articulatingsections from a planar configuration to a non-planar configuration. Aplurality of sensors is positioned below a sleeping surface of theinteractive bedding system and configured to measure at least one sleepcondition and provide output signals. Coupled to the rectangular frameare one or more color-changeable lighting units; and one or more soundspeakers coupled to the rectangular frame. Vibrating units are coupledto the foundation. A control unit is configured to automaticallyactivate one or more of the different components integrated into thepowered bedding system, e.g., activate the one or more color-changeablelighting units, articulate the mattress, activate the one or more soundspeakers to play music, alerts, or instructions, activating thevibrating units upon detection of a sleep condition, and/orautomatically detecting a presence or an absence of the child on thepowered bedding system at a predetermined range of time and notifying athird party in the absence of the child during the predetermined rangeof time.

In one or more embodiments, a process for operating an interactivepowered bedding system for a child includes providing an interactivebedding system comprising a mattress; and a foundation supporting themattress, wherein the interactive bedding system is configured with aplurality of sensors below a sleeping surface of the interactive beddingsystem configured to measure at least one sleep condition and provideoutput signals, one or more color-changeable lighting units coupled tothe rectangular frame, one or more sound speakers coupled to therectangular frame, vibrating units coupled to the foundation, and acontrol unit; and automatically adjusting the one or morecolor-changeable lighting units, the one or more sound speakers, and thevibrating units upon detection of a sleep condition, and automaticallydetect a presence or an absence of the child on the interactive beddingsystem at a predetermined range of time and notifying a third party inthe absence of the child during the predetermined range of time.

These and other advantages and features will become more apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter, which is regarded as the disclosure, is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages ofthe disclosure are apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an interactive articulatingbedding system for a child in a planar configuration according to one ormore embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary adjustable foundation forthe interactive articulating bedding system for a child in a non-planarconfiguration according to one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of an exemplary adjustable foundation forthe interactive articulating bedding system for a child according to oneor more embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an interactive articulating bedding system fora child according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an interactive articulating bedding system,according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

These and other advantages and features will become more apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein are interactive powered bedding systems for childrenthat can be programmed by a caretaker, e.g., a parent, babysitter,health care provider or the like to dynamically adjust the articulatingbedding system for the child's individuality and age. Moreover, with theexception of the articulating components, the other components aremodular and can be added or removed from the bedding system whendesired. The interactive powered bedding systems generally include amattress and a foundation such as an articulating foundation supportingthe mattress. As will be described in greater detail herein, theinteractive powered bedding systems are configured to encourage a childto remain on the mattress during bedtime by providing an interactivesystem that automatically adjusts to promote healthy sleep habits.Advantageously, the interactive bedding systems can be configured toprovide third party notification in the event the child leaves thebedding system during a predetermined range of time, e.g., bedtime,naptime, or the like, that the caretaker can preset. The interactivebedding systems can also be configured to activate one or moreintegrated system accessories such as underbed nightlights upondetection of the child's absence during bedtime such as may occur shouldthe child need to use a restroom, for example.

Reference will now be made to interactive articulating bedding systemsalthough it should be apparent that the articulating foundation isintended to be optional. Interactive articulating bedding systemsgenerally include a rectangular frame and one or more articulatingsections mounted to the rectangular frame configured to support themattress, wherein the rectangular frame comprises a head end, a footend, and sidewalls extending from the head end to the foot end, andwherein the rectangular frame further includes a linkage assemblyoperable to articulate one or more articulating sections from a planarconfiguration to a non-planar configuration and vice versa. Theparticular rectangular frame, the linkage assembly, and the one or morearticulating sections are not intended to be limited. Exemplaryrectangular frames and the one or more articulating sections aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,992,240, and 10,638,851, incorporated byreference herein in its entireties.

The mattresses utilized in the interactive bedding systems are also notintended to be limited and can generally include any mattress known inthe art, which can be fabricated with one or more layers of foam, springcoils, air bladders, combinations thereof, or the like. An exemplarymattress is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,469. The mattress may be atwin, queen, king, California king or any other size.

The interactive bedding systems for children generally include modularaccessories including one or more color-changeable lighting unitscoupled to the rectangular frame and/or the one or more articulatingsections and oriented to project light toward a ground level; one ormore sound speakers coupled to the rectangular frame and/or the one ormore articulating sections to play music, stories, white noise, or thelike; vibrating units coupled to one or more of the more articulatingsections; and a control unit configured to receive output signals fromone or more sensors within the articulating bedding system andcommunicate these output signals to the bedding system upon detection ofa condition, e.g., a sleep condition such as a predetermined bed time,sleep state, or the like, by automatically articulating one or more ofthe articulating sections; and/or automatically vibrating the vibratoryunits; and/or automatically adjusting a color of the lighting based onsleep or wake status of the child, and/or automatically adjustingspeaker volume and selection of emitted sound from the one or morespeakers, wherein an external sound device wirelessly communicates witha network interface communicating with the one or more speakers toprovide stories, songs, music, white noise, instructions, or the like;and/or automatically detecting the presence or the absence of the childon the articulating bedding system and notifying a third party in theabsence of the child. Detection of the presence or absence of the childcan further include activating the one or more lighting units upondetection of the child's absence from the bedding system so as tofunction as a nightlight, for example. By way of example, the colorchanging lights can be red colored to indicate absence from the beddingsystem so as to provide notice to the child that this is unacceptablebehavior or green indicating the child's presence. The lights can fadeout once a sleep state is detected.

The rectangular frame, whether it be an articulating foundation or not,can also be configured to receive customized border panels that areremovably attached thereto, which can feature outwardly facing patternsand/or indicia that is age appropriate and specifically selected for thechild. For example, the outwardly facing patterns can include thechild's favorite caricatures and/or include phrases that hold specialmeaning. The removable border panels can be replaced with moreappropriate patterns/indicia as the child ages extending the attractionof the powered bedding system to the child. The presence of theremovable border panels attracts and encourages the child to use andremain on the interactive powered bedding system at a predetermined timesuch as during sleep time or nap time, for example.

The interactive powered bedding systems can include multiple sensors fordetecting various parameters to provide output signals indicative of atleast one sleep condition, which can be used to automatically adjust thearticulating bedding system. For example, sensors can be used to detectan early sleep stage associated with the child and automatically changethe powered bedding system from a non-planar configuration to a planarconfiguration; reduce sound levels or provide white noise, provide arhythmic vibration using the vibrating units or the like. The sensorscan be placed at locations on and/or within the mattress and/oradjustable foundation suitable for detection of a desired parameter tobe measured that is associated with the child. Exemplary sensors can beused to detect movement, weight, heart rate, breathing, humidity,temperature, or the like. These types of sensors are generally known inthe art.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-2, there are shown an exploded perspective viewof an exemplary interactive articulating bedding system 10 configuredfor a child including an adjustable mattress foundation 12 and mattress14 thereon in accordance with the present disclosure. The interactivebedding system 10 is not intended to be limited to any particularadjustable foundation 12 or mattress 13. The mattress 14 is configuredto have similar length and width dimensions to the adjustable foundation12 to define the articulating bedding system, which is generallyrectangular shaped. The mattress 14 can be secured to the adjustablefoundation in any manner generally known in the art, e.g., through theuse of book and loop fasteners, metal rails, and the like.

As is typical for adjustable mattress foundations, the adjustablemattress foundation 12 includes one or more sections that are movablebetween a planar configuration as shown in FIG. 1 to a non-planarconfiguration as shown in FIG. 2. The non-planar configurations aretypically defined by a head and back section 13, a leg and foot section16, and an intermediate seat section 15 therebetween, wherein the headand back section 13 and the leg and foot section 16 can articulate,i.e., elevate, relative to the intermediate seat section 15. Thedifferent sections, 13, 15, and 16 collectively form the mattresssupport surface upon which the mattress 14 shown in FIG. 1 overlies. Inthe illustrated non-planar configuration position shown in FIG. 2, whichis exemplary and not intended to be limiting, both the head and backsection 13 and portions of the leg and foot section 16 are shownsimultaneously elevated relative to the intermediate seat section 15.However, suitable adjustable foundations can include independentinclination/declination of the head and back section relative to the legand foot section. A child may lie prone on the mattress 14 disposed onthe adjustable mattress foundation 12 in its fully horizontal planarconfiguration, in the fully inclined non-planar configuration, or in anyposition therebetween. As noted above, the adjustable mattressfoundation 12 generally includes a rectangular shaped foundation frame18, which supports and elevates the head and back section 13 and the legand foot section 16, and the intermediate seat section 15, relative toground.

The head and back section 13 is typically formed of a single panel 20whereas the intermediate seat section 15 as well as the leg and footsection 16 can be formed of multiple panels, e.g., intermediate seatpanels 22, 24 and leg and foot panels 26, 28, respectively, as shownmore clearly in FIG. 2. Panel 20 of the head section 13 is connected viahinges 30 to lower panel 24 of the intermediate seat section 15 at oneend thereof. Likewise, the leg and foot section 16 includes panel 26connected at one end via hinges 32 to panel 22 of the intermediate seatsection 15 and at another end to panel 26 of the leg and foot section 16via hinges 34, wherein panels 22, 24 of the intermediate seat section 15are in a sliding relationship to selectively increase or decrease lengthof the intermediate seat section upon inclination or declination of thehead section 13 and/or the leg and foot section 16 in the intermediatesection 15, panel 22 is an upper panel and panel 24 is the lower panel.Additionally, panels 26 and 28 of the leg and foot section 1168 arehingedly connected to one another via hinges 34.

The different sections 13, 15, and 16 are supported on the rectangularfoundation frame 18, which further includes a motorized linkage assembly(not shown) operable to selectively articulate the sections 13 and 16relative to the intermediate seat section 15 of the mattress supportsurface. The linkage assembly is not intended to be limited and caninclude one or more linear actuators to effect independent articulationof the different sections. Exemplary linkage assemblies and adjustablefoundations are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,870,784, 10,638,851 and10,278,512, incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The rectangular frame can further include removable decorative borderpanels 50 and 52, which can include a pattern and/or indicia. The panels50, 52 can be removably secured to the rectangular frame 18 about theentire perimeter or portions thereof. A shown, panel 50 is attachedalong a length dimension of one side of the rectangular frame and panel52 is positioned along a width dimension corresponding to a foot end ofthe rectangular frame. Attachment is not intended to be limited and canbe effected using any mechanical attachment such as hook and loopfasteners, nut and bolt fasteners, clips, or the like.

In one or more embodiments, the bedding system 10 includes one or morevibratory units 60 attached to one or more of the panels such as thehead panel 13 as shown in FIG. 1. Each vibratory unit 60 generallyincludes a variable speed motor with a shat and an eccentric weightattached to the shaft causing the motor to vibrate when in use. Thefrequency of the vibrations produced within the foundation may becontrolled by varying the speed of each motor. The amplitude of thevibration may be controlled by re-positioning the eccentric weight.Operation of the individual vibrating units thusly imparts a resonatingeffect to the overlying mattress and to the child reclining upon themattress. By varying the frequencies of the vibratory impulses and thelevel of resonance, a person may recline upon the mattress for itscomforting effects or, alternatively, be slowly lulled to sleep.Alternatively, the one or more vibrating units can be integrated intothe mattress (not shown). In these embodiments, a separate power sourcecan be used or the vibratory units can be battery operated.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a bottom plan view of the rectangular frame 18 isshown without the linkage assembly. The rectangular frame 18 typicallyincudes one or more cross members 19, two of which are shown, forstability and for coupling with the linkage assembly. Speakers 70 andcolor changeable lighting units 80 are coupled to the rectangular frame18. The locations and configuration of the speakers and color changinglighting units are not intended to be limited. Generally, the colorchanging lights are oriented to project light towards the ground.

In FIG. 4, a cross sectional view of the interactive articulatingbedding system 10 is shown including a plurality of sensors 90. Asshown, the sensors 90 are positioned generally corresponding to a lumbarregion of a child 92 prone on the mattress 14 although it should beapparent the sensors can be positioned anywhere within the beddingsystem 10. The sensors can be mounted to the rectangular frame 18 of theadjustable foundation 12 or components thereof; intermediate themattress 14 and the adjustable foundation; within the mattress 14;and/or proximate to the sleeping surface of the mattress 14. The sensorsare not intended to be limited to any particular type or types. Sensors90 may be any conventional sensor used to measure any of the aboveparameters, such as weight sensors, temperature sensors, humiditysensors, microphone/noise sensors, accelerometers, and/or other suitablesensors. In some embodiments, the sensors may be configured assubstantially planar sensors. The sensors can be used to determine asleep condition and provide output data signals to a control unit thatis indicative of the sleep condition. For example, weight orstress/strain sensors may be used to monitor a child's sleeping positionand/or movements during sleep.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a block diagram of an exemplary operating system100 is shown for controlling the interactive articulating bedding system10. The system 100 generally includes generating output signals fromsensors 110 to the control unit 170, which may also communicate with adata acquisition device 120 that communicates with processor 130. Theprocessor 130 can be in communication with a sleep database, a userinterface, and/or a network interface 140. The processor can beprogrammed by a caretaker to provide the interactive articulatingbedding systems with a variety of functions. For example, the caretakercan program the interactive articulating bedding system to playlullabies, songs, or a bedtime story that fades into white noise orturns off completely upon detection by the sensors that the child hasfallen asleep. Likewise, colored lighting can be activated to indicatesleeping time or serve as a night light. A specific color can berepeatedly projected each bedtime for example, to indicate to the childthat it is sleeping time. Additionally, a predetermined sleeping timecan be entered to cause the adjustable foundation to articulate fromanon-planar configuration to a planar configuration. Still further, thebedding system processor can be programmed to actuate the vibratingunits, which along with white noise emitted from the speakers can beconfigured to provide repeatable oscillations to encourage sleepiness.Parental or caretaker control can be used to program the differentarticulating positions and experiences the child occupant can enjoy soas to provide healthy sleep habits. For example, the color changinglights can turn to red if the child leaves the bedding system during apredetermined sleep time along with the speaker providing a messageindicating that it is sleep time and to return to the bedding system. Inthe event the child does not return promptly, the bedding system canprovide the caretaker and/or parent with appropriate notification viathe network interface 140 and communications network 150, e g.,wirelessly, to send a message to the caretakers control device, e.g.,tablet, phone, computer, or the like.

The data acquisition device 120 can be configured to receive electronicoutput signals from the sensors 120 through a wired or wirelessconnection. e.g., BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, WIFI, etc. The data acquisitiondevice 120 may then process the received output signals, for examplethrough analog-to-digital conversion, domain transform, filtering, orany other signal processing technique or a combination thereof forfurther processing by the sleep processor. Each sensor may be incommunication with its own dedicated data acquisition device, or theremay be a single data acquisition device for receiving signals from allsensors. In some embodiments, there may be a data acquisition device foreach type of sensor, e g., a weight data acquisition device forreceiving signals from all weight sensors.

The data acquisition device 120 may communicate the received datasignals to the sleep processor 130 through a wired or wirelessconnection. The sleep processor 130 may include microcontrollers andmicroprocessors programmed to receive data from the sensors, anddetermine sleep parameters based on the received data, which can be sentto the control unit 170 to trigger an action such as activating thecolor changing lights to a specific color. In particular, the sleepprocessor 130 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, andan interconnect bus (not shown). The CPU may include a singlemicroprocessor or a plurality of microprocessors for configuring thesleep processor as a multi-processor system. The memory may include amain memory and a read-only memory. The sleep processor 130 and/or thesleep database may include mass storage devices having, for example,various disk drives, tape drives. FLASH drives, etc. The main memory mayinclude dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and high-speed cache memory.During operation, the main memory may store at least portions ofinstructions and data for execution by a CPU. In certain embodiments,the sleep processor may include circuitry for an analog-to-digitalconverter and/or a digital-to-analog converter. The analog-to-digitalconverter circuitry may convert analog signals received at the sensorsto digital signals for further processing by the sleep processor. Insome embodiments, the sleep processor 130 may include general purposecomputer systems used as servers, workstations, personal computers,network terminals, and the like.

The sleep processor 130 can be connected to the network interface 140for data communications. The network interface 140 may be a modem, anetwork card, serial port, bus adapter, or any other suitable datacommunications mechanism for communicating with one or more local orremote systems. The network interface 140 may provide a relativelyhigh-speed link to a network, such as the Internet. The communicationlink to the network may be, for example, optical, wired, or wireless(e.g., via satellite, cellular, or WiFi network). Alternatively, thesleep processor 130 may include a mainframe or other type of hostcomputer system capable of communications via the network. The networkinterface may communicate with third parties, such as a caretaker oremergency services via the network. In some embodiments, the sleepprocessor may communicate using an infrared connection, a BLUETOOTHprotocol, or any other suitable wireless communication protocol. Thesleep processor 130 may also include suitable input/output ports or usethe interconnect bus for interconnection with other components, such asuser interface.

The sleep characteristic measured by the sensors may be a length of timein bed, a sleep start time, a sleep end time, a measurement ofrespiration, sleep state, or a measurement of moving. For example,sensors may be configured to measure movement, pressure, weight,stress/strain, temperature, humidity, light, noise, heart rate,breathing, blood oxygenation, blood pressure, time in bed, total timeslept, and/or other suitable parameters related to sleep and sleepquality. In some embodiments, one or more of the above parameters maynot be directly measured, but rather derived from other measuredparameters and/or vital signs (including initial vital signs). Aspreviously discussed, the sensors may be distributed along one or moremajor or sleeping surfaces of the mattress and/or the foundation. Forexample, weight sensors may be distributed along the length of thearticulating bedding system, where a sleeping child would most likelylie. In other embodiments, sensors may be distributed evenly across oneor more of the surfaces of the mattress and/or the adjustablefoundation.

In some embodiments, the sensors may be flexible. For example, thesensors may include flexible membrane sensors fabricated on a flexiblesupport of plastic or any other suitable, flexible substrate. In certainembodiments, the sensors may include flexible, metallic conductorsand/or sensing elements. Incorporating flexible sensors into bedding mayimprove the comfort of the bedding. However, in some embodiments,conventional, non-flexible sensors may be incorporated into thearticulating bedding system. In these embodiments, the sensors may bedisposed beneath one or more mattress layers, or the sensors may besmall enough to avoid significant discomfort, or the sensors may bedisposed within the adjustable foundation.

Still further, the color-changeable light source can be configured toemit a light at an intensity and color based on the end user settings.The light source is not intended to be limited and can include lightemitting diodes, halogen sources, incandescent sources, and the like.The light source can be activated to serve as a nightlight, providecertain colors at certain intensities and durations, or a fade out tosignal and encourage the child that it is time to sleep.

The articulating bedding system can be configured to assume multipleconfigurations with multiple settings by programming a control unit 170.The control unit 170 is configured to communicate with the beddingassembly and to control the bedding assembly to assume a selectedconfiguration and/or response with selected settings in in accordancewith user or vendor inputs in response to a predefined event. In someembodiments, the control unit can be configured with a parental controlto allow the parent to set the positions and experiences the child mayhave so as to encourage sleepiness at a particular time. Additionally,the parental control can be configured to provide notifications when thechild exits the bedding system.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous othermodifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of thedisclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processingcapabilities described with respect to a particular system, systemcomponent, device, or device component may be performed by any othersystem, device, or component. Further, while various illustrativeimplementations and architectures have been described in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that numerous other modifications to the illustrativeimplementations and architectures described herein are also within thescope of this disclosure. In addition, it should be appreciated that anyoperation, element, component, data, or the like described herein asbeing based on another operation, element, component, data, or the likemay be additionally based on one or more other operations, elements,components, data, or the like. Accordingly, the phrase “based on,” orvariants thereof, should be interpreted as “based at least in part on.”

The present disclosure may be a system, a method, apparatus, and/or acomputer program product. The computer program product may include acomputer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readableprogram instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry outaspects of the present disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture,functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems,methods, apparatus, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present techniqueshave been presented for purposes of illustration but are not intended tobe exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein. Additionally, while various embodiments of thedisclosure have been described, it is to be understood that theexemplary embodiment(s) may include only some of the described exemplaryaspects. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by theforegoing description but is only limited by the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An interactive bedding system for a childcomprising: a mattress; a foundation supporting the mattress; aplurality of sensors below a sleeping surface of the interactive beddingsystem configured to measure at least one sleep condition and provideoutput signals; one or more color-changeable lighting units coupled tothe rectangular frame; one or more sound speakers coupled to therectangular frame; vibrating units coupled to foundation; and a controlunit configured to automatically actuate the one or morecolor-changeable lighting units, the one or more sound speakers, and thevibrating units upon detection of a sleep condition, and automaticallydetect a presence or an absence of the child on the interactive beddingsystem at a predetermined range of time and notifying a third party inthe absence of the child during the predetermined range of time.
 2. Theinteractive bedding system of claim 1, wherein the control unit isconfigured to activate the color changeable lighting units upon theabsence of a child from the bedding system.
 3. The interactive beddingsystem of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting lighting from the oneor more color-changeable lighting units to fade upon detection of thesleep condition.
 4. The interactive bedding system of claim 1, whereinthe third party is a caretaker or a parent.
 5. The interactive beddingsystem of claim 1, wherein the foundation comprises a rectangular frameand one or more articulating sections mounted to the rectangular frameconfigured to support the mattress, wherein the rectangular framecomprises a head end, a foot end, and sidewalls extending from the headend to the foot end, and wherein the rectangular frame comprises alinkage assembly operable to articulate one or more of the articulatingsections from a planar configuration to a non-planar configuration; andwherein the control unit is configured to automatically adjust thearticulating sections upon detection of the sleep condition to provide anon-planar configuration.
 6. The interactive bedding system of claim 1further comprising removable border panels about a perimeter of therectangular frame comprising a pattern and/or indicia,
 7. Theinteractive bedding system of claim 1, wherein the control unit isconfigured to automatically adjust the vibrating units to provide arepeating pattern.
 8. The interactive bedding system of claim 1, whereinthe control unit is configured to automatically adjust the one or morespeakers to emit white noise upon detection of the sleep condition. 9.The interactive bedding system of claim 1, wherein the control unit isconfigured to automatically discontinue sound emission from the one ormore speakers upon detection of the sleep condition.
 10. The interactivebedding system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors isconfigured to measure at least one of movement, pressure, weight, andtime in bed.
 11. A process for operating an interactive bedding systemfor a child, the process comprising: providing an interactive beddingsystem comprising a mattress; and a foundation supporting the mattress,wherein the interactive bedding system is configured with a plurality ofsensors below a sleeping surface of the interactive bedding systemconfigured to measure at least one sleep condition and provide outputsignals, one or more color-changeable lighting units coupled to therectangular frame, one or more sound speakers coupled to the rectangularframe, vibrating units coupled to the foundation, and a control unit;and automatically adjusting the one or more color-changeable lightingunits, the one or more sound speakers, and the vibrating units upondetection of a sleep condition, and automatically detect a presence oran absence of the child on the interactive bedding system at apredetermined range of time and notifying a third party in the absenceof the child during the predetermined range of time.
 12. The process ofclaim 11, wherein the interactive bedding system further comprisesremovable border panels about a perimeter of the rectangular framecomprising a pattern and/or indicia, and the process further comprisesperiodically changing the removable border panels to provide a differentpattern and/or indicia.
 13. The process of claim 11, whereinautomatically adjusting the vibrating units comprises providing arepeating pattern prior to detection of the sleep condition.
 14. Theprocess of claim 11, wherein the foundation comprises a rectangularframe and one or more articulating sections mounted to the rectangularframe configured to support the mattress, wherein the rectangular framecomprises a head end, a foot end, and sidewalls extending from the headend to the foot end, and wherein the rectangular frame comprises alinkage assembly operable to articulate one or more of the articulatingsections from a planar configuration to a non-planar configuration; andthe process further comprises automatically adjusting the articulatingsections to a planar configuration upon detection of the sleepcondition.
 15. The process of claim 11, wherein automatically adjustingthe one or more speakers comprises playing a song or music prior todetecting the sleep condition followed by playing white noise upondetecting the sleep condition.
 16. The process of claim 11, whereinautomatically adjusting the one or more speakers comprises playing asong or music prior to detecting the sleep condition followed bydiscontinuing sound emission upon detecting the sleep condition.
 17. Theprocess of claim 11, wherein automatically adjusting the color changinglighting units comprises changing color to a different color upondetection of the sleep condition and the absence of the child from thebedding system.
 18. The process of claim 11, wherein the third party isa caretaker or a parent.